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Written by: Rio Callans
Aces Payments — a purpose-driven fintech startup delivering secure payment solutions for conscious commerce. Built around trust, long-term relationships, and ethical growth, Aces aimed to provide small businesses with transparent, values-aligned payment processing in a competitive market.
Early-Stage | B2B Fintech | Remote Team | Scaled from launch to compliant operations in 30+ states — securing funding shortly after this phase
Aces started lean and purpose‑driven, with no foundational systems in place. I was initially brought on to handle formation logistics and core operational frameworks — setting up the entity structure, implementing QuickBooks, creating budgets, tracking cash flow, managing payroll, and building the basic processes the company needed to function.
Once the foundation was stable, I led the transition from a 1099 sales model to a W‑2 employment model — building the brand, website, HR frameworks, compliance, payroll and recruiting systems, legal agreements, and scalable onboarding processes.
With those systems in place, the founder invested in growth by hiring three new VPs of Sales to expand nationwide. These VPs recruited commission‑only sales reps — a high‑churn model that led to 63% turnover. When turnover spiked and cash flow tightened, the company needed outside funding to sustain itself. Because of the operational backbone I built, Aces was structurally prepared to secure investment and navigate a smooth leadership transition.
Brought in through Soluna Partners at launch, I first supported Aces as Accounting & Operations Manager, later stepping into an embedded Executive Operations Manager role as the company scaled. I served as the founder’s strategic partner across every operational domain — building the company’s backbone from the ground up while ensuring its mission of conscious commerce guided every decision.
Aces Payments evolved from a lean, founder‑driven startup into an investment‑ready fintech company with the infrastructure to scale nationally. I built the operational backbone — HR, compliance, payroll, benefits, and brand — that enabled expansion across 30 states, transitioned the sales team to W‑2 employment, and positioned the company for outside funding.
When the founder was unable to secure investment personally, new leadership stepped in with funding and carried the company forward. Because the systems I designed were self‑sustaining and built for scale, ongoing HR and payroll needs could be handled externally rather than retaining me in an embedded role. In effect, I had already built myself out of the position — a hallmark of fractional operations done right. The company moved ahead with lean overhead, scalable systems, and the confidence to navigate its next chapter.
This is the heart of my work at Soluna Partners: building operational frameworks that endure — giving founders freedom to lead, confidence to scale, and clarity to grow on their own terms.